Chapter 301: Injury, And Healing
“Guh!” Rael kicked off the ground as he slammed his back into the broken fountain.
He glanced down and realized there was a hole straight through his heart.
Looking ahead, he saw the widened eyes of both Shina and Todd.
That was when he noticed them both holding the Red Skeleton down, its head facing into the sky.
To his surprise, there was a thin laser shooting out of its eyes, and he didn’t even need to guess that it was the same thing that had pierced through his heart.
Shit… Rael clutched his chest as he dug at the dry ground, trying his best to crawl over to the healer.
That was also when the Blue Skeleton finally took notice of Rael as it took a step back and brought its shield down.
Just as it was about to crush Rael’s head, he felt a tug at his leg.
Glancing down, he realized there were four rats pulling him back.
The Blue Skeleton reacted instantly, but before it could deliver the final blow to Rael, a pair of axes struck its shield, causing it to fly back into the distance.
“Fucking hell,” Todd muttered as he picked Rael up by his collar and tossed him to the back lines.
His blood loss continued, and when he hit the ground, he took even more damage.
He felt his vision starting to fade, almost as if he was about to die.
But that was when the familiar warm energy enveloped him, slowly healing him.
Julian was overexerting himself, and yet, the gaping hole in Rael’s heart was not disappearing.
“I-It’s not…” Julian mumbled, his eyes widening as he turned to Jane. “Freeze him.”
“Kugh… fuck you. You’re not freezing me,” Rael replied through a pained groan.
“Not you,” Julian said, pointing at the gaping hole in his chest. “Your heart.”
Rael could only imagine how badly that could go, but since there weren’t any other alternatives, he went through with it.
Jane approached hesitantly and put her hands on his chest.
In the very next instant, a numbing cold assaulted him, gathering around his heart and freezing it.
On one end, he no longer bled. On the other…
“I can’t breathe…” Rael said with the last of his breaths.
But before he could suffocate, Julian swiftly sent more heals his way.
His lungs were working again, and he could finally breathe, though each breath came out cold.
I’m not bleeding either, but… Rael put a hand over his chest.
“You’re good to go… for now,” Julian announced.
“How temporary is this fix?” Rael asked. “Because I sure as hell don’t feel like I’ll be making it to tomorrow.”
“You won’t,” Julian replied flatly. “But… we just have to pray we can somehow restore your heart until then.”
Rael grumbled at his misfortune, then abruptly stood up.
He felt groggy, and the numbness was definitely messing with his senses.
But even so, he didn’t want to drag the group down.
He kicked off the ground, passing by the Blue Skeleton as he arrived beside the Red Skeleton.
Rael crouched down and picked up his claymore, then shot a glance toward the Blue Skeleton.
“Aster!” Todd yelled. “Come hold this Red Skeleton down! I’ll deal with the Blue Skeleton!”
He was prepared to help out the others, but clearly… this was the better option.
They swiftly switched places as Rael held onto the Red Skeleton’s skull alongside Shina.
She stared at him with a worried look. “Hey… you’re—”
“I know,” Rael cut her off. “It’s not looking good.”
Yet as he thought there was a sliver of a possibility for things to get better, a pop-up appeared in front of him, causing his eyes to widen.
This really isn’t my day, is it?
Even so, he continued holding onto the Red Skeleton, while also taking an occasional glance at the others.
They were dealing with the Blue Skeleton fairly easily, suffering only minor injuries that were instantly healed by Julian.
Todd brutally attacked it whenever Natasha and the other dagger fighter opened up an opportunity.
And of course, those in the back line provided cover fire.
So within minutes, the Blue Skeleton was stripped of its armor and decapitated.
Yet the glow in its blue eye holes remained.
For safe measure, Todd pointed it away from the rest of the group as he approached Rael and Shina.
“How you holding up?” Todd asked.
Rael shrugged. “I’m alive for now.”
“I see…” Todd replied dryly and extended his hand. “I’ll destroy their skulls.”
Shina and Rael said nothing as they handed over the Red Skeleton’s skull.
Todd tightened his grip on the skulls, managing to shatter them both and ending the trial then and there.
1. Todd Nikon: 177 Undead Kills + 2 Elite Undead Kills
2. Blank: 212 Undead Kills
3. Natasha Caroline: 184 Undead Kills
4. Jane Venn: 142 Undead Kills
5. Elizabeth Victoria: 111 Undead Kills
Rael rolled his eyes as he stood, steeling himself for the last trial.
After all, it was clear what the last trial would be.
Rael stood up just as the pop-up appeared, displaying the contents of the third, and likely last, trial of the Shrine.
It just keeps getting worse.